Card selecting system



March 1, 1938. R. M. DESAUBLIAUX .CARD SELECTING SYY STEM Filed Feb. 15 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 fnvenlor: R05

mzpoam fiat/1710i DESAUBLIAUX Patented 1, 1938 NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,109,820 CARD SELEOI'I NG SYSTEM Robert Roger Desanbliaux, Paris, France Application February 15, 1936, Serial No. 04,157 In Luxemberg February 16, 1935 7 Claims. (Ci. 12916.1)

number and positioned in such manner as to register with the holes of the perforated cards disposed vertically in said case. 'Iwo correspond ing holes of the front and rear faces of the case,

' which extends through all the corresponding respective holes of the cards. Two adiacent holes of a card disposed on the same vertical line may be connected together by an aperture or slot of a 20 width at least equal to the diameter of a, hole, this aperture or slot corresponding to a predetermined characteristic. Of course, each card may be provided with several of these apertures or slots, corresponding to several characteristics. The selec- 2 tion of all the cards having in common one or several characteristics is eifected in the following manner: One or several rods are inserted in the hole or holes corresponding to this characteristic or these characteristics, and the case is then 30 turned upside down. All the cards corresponding to the characteristic of characteristics in question drop a distance corresponding to the apertures provided in the cards. The cards thus separated from the others may be immobilized in I 3 this position by means of a supplementary rod.

Then the case is brought back into its original position.

- This system of selection whichmakes use of the weight of the cards and involves the turning 40 of the case upside down has the following drawbacks! n the one hand, the step of turning the case The object of the present invention is to provide a system which obviates these drawbacks,

' a and more especially a system which does not involve the turning of the case upside down.

We this purpose. according to an essential are provided with holes\having each a coding respectively may be used as supports for a rod feature of the present invention, the cards to selected are moved laterally with respect to the cards that are not selected, the case remaining" in its normal position with respect to a horizontal plane. According to a more specific feature of the invention, the apparatus includes, on the one hand, a card case provided with at least two lateral walls and arranged in combination with two stationary plates disposed on the front and on 0 the rear thereof respectively, said stationary plates being provided with holes for the passage of the selecting rods, said holes being positioned opposite one another along at least one transverse alignment, and, on the other hand, selection cards of a width smaller than that of the card case and provided with holes corresponding, in size and position, to those of the front and rear stationary plates. This apparatus is characterized in that.

the selection cards, which are intended to be proing laterally (horizontally) the cards tobe selected, the card case remaining always in the normal position with respect to a horizontal plane.

Other features of the present invention will resuit from the following detailed description of some specific embodiments thereof.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be hereinafter described, with reference to the accompanying drawings, given merely by way of example, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a card case for 5 use with the system according to the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section made in the plane of the surface of one of the driving elements which serve to move the selection cards trans- 0 versely according to the invention;

Fig. 3 is a transverse section made in the plane of the surface of one of the selection cards;

Fig. 4 is a transverse section of the apparatus illustrating an example of selection;

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatical view illustrating an example of multiple selection;

Fig; 6 is a plan view of another embodiment,

the rod carrier being in its fully expanded position;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the apparatus of Fig. 6, the rod carrier being in a position of intermediate expansion: A a

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the card case of j the apparatus of Figat and-7;

Figs. 9 and 10 show a selection card and a driving card, respectively;

Fig. 11 is a sectional view of the the line l|-l| of Fig. 6. I

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a rectangular card case A provided, at its upper part, with two plane slideways S1 and S2, and, at the front and rear, respectively, with walls B and B, which constitute the stationary plates above mentioned. These stationary plates are each provided with several rows of holes T1, T2, T3, T4, and T1, T2, T's, T4, respectively, said holes being disposed opposite one another, in the respective plates B and LB and corresponding each to a determined characteristic. In this card case A are disposed driving cards F (Fig. 2) of a width smaller than the width of the case, and each of which is provided, at its upper part, with lugs 01, 02, provided with notches 0'1, 0'2 which permit of moving them with a lateral translatory motion in the plane of the card. In the course of this movement, cards F are supported by their lugs 01, 02, which slide on slideways S1, S2. The vertical edges of the cards come to butt against either the right hand side wall or the left hand side wall of the card case. Lugs 01 and 02 are slightly thicker than the remainder of the card. The driving card further includes horizontal apertures or slots F1, F2, F3, F4, disposed at the same height as the rows of holes T1, T4, T1 .T'4, respectively, of walls B, B. Therefore, if a rod is driventhrough two corresponding holes of these walls 3, B, said rod extends through the corresponding slots of the driving cards F present in the card case, and permits of freely moving said driving cards laterally between the lateral vertical walls of the case.

Between two consecutive driving cards F, there is provided (Fig. 3) a selection card f, which, in the embodiment shown, bears, through its lower edge, upon the bottom of the case. Each selection card is provided with rows of holes t1, ta, ta, t4 positioned in such manner as to register with the holes T1 T and Ti T4 of walls 13 and B of the card case. There is an important interval left between each selection card and the apparatus on lateral walls of the case. Furthermore, each selection card is provided, at its upper part, with a prolonged portion C provided with a hole D.

Each selection card is adapted to be provided with one or several horizontal slots f1--jz or ii. for instance, extending between two or more holes of a given row and corresponding to as many selections according to different characteristics.

As above explained, I dispose, alternately, in the card case, a selection card f and a driving card F. Each selection card is thus enclosed between two driving cards and it will be readily understood that any displacement of the driving cards in one direction will produce a displacement of the selection cards'in the same direction. Therefore, if, prior to carrying out a selection operation, all the upper holes D of the selection cards were disposed along the same line, and one or several rods 2| are driven through the holes corresponding to the-characteristics upon which the selection is to be made, all the cards f corresponding to these characteristics (or this characteristic) shall be provided withhorizontal slots extending from the holes corresponding to this.

characteristic or these characteristics, either toward the right or toward the left, according to the nature, either positive, or negative, of the selection that is to be carried out. Any simultaneous displacement of the driving cards (produced for instance by acting on notches 0'1 or 0'2 provided in their lugs by means of a bar R) in the direction corresponding to the selection that is to be carried out shall produce, by adhesion, the drive of the selection cards provided .with horizontal slots corresponding to this characteristic of selection. This is due to the fact that the presence of said horizontal slots permits the transverse displacement of these particular cards while the other cards are prevented from moving due to thepresence of the selection rods engaged in holes of the cards permitting no substantial transverse displacements thereof. This translatory movement of the cards is limited by the fact that the ends of the horizontal slots thereof butt against the corresponding rod or rods. The selected cards are thus in alinement either on the right or on the left of the other cards and it is possible after removing rods 2| and R to extract them from the card case by inserting a rod through all their upper holes D and lifting this last mentioned rod.

As lugs 01 and 02 are thicker than the remainder of the corresponding cards, they serve to ensure the contact between these cards while preventing any jamming of the selection cards. The importance of these increased thicknesses must be suitably determined for this purpose. The interval between the two lugs 01 and 02 of each driving card is sufiicient for permitting the prolonged part C of a selection card to extend therebetween and to move transversely between said lugs for the selection operations. When the selected cards are removed, each of them, due to the fact that its upper edge comes into contact with the lower edge of the lugs 01, 02 of the corresponding driving card, simultaneously produces the extraction of said corresponding driving card.

Fig. 4 diagrammatically illustrates an example of selection according to a single characteristic of a card provided with a horizontal slot f1 extending between holes t'i, t1. Initially, all the selection cards have their holes D located in a common vertical plane X. A rod 2| is driven through the holes registering with hole t'i, which corresponds to the characteristic that is considered. All the driving cards, and especially card F are moved in the direction of arrow u. Card I which is driven by adhesion by the two driving cards located adjacent thereto, itself moves in the direction of arrow u, until the end t1 of the slot f1 comes to abut against the selection rod. The hole D of card ,1 is now located in vertical plane Y and can be extracted from the card case.

As matter of fact, the displacement of the selection cards is not limited to the distance a between two consecutive holes of a horizontal row.

Fig. 5 diagrammatically shows an example of the selection of a card I provided with a horizontal slot 12 which extends over a length corresponding to three consecutive holes is, t2 and t"2.

' Therefore the card can be moved through a distance equal to twice the distance a between two consecutive holes. Therefore, in this case, the selection card I is located, after its horizontal displacement in a position such that its hole D is located in plane Z, the same being true of all the cards which include the same characteristic, while the cards including a horizontalslot permitting a displacement equal to distance a shall have their holes D located all in a vertical plane Y. As for the cards that are not selected they shall remain in a position in which all their holes D are located in a vertical plane X. The

arrangement according to the invention there-v fore permits a multiple-stageselection which is of a horizontal row of holes.

On the other hand, it is possible to simultaneously effect a selection concerning several characteristics which are wholly different .from one another, that is. to say to select cards including several horizontal slots disposed either on the same row and extending between two different holes, or ontwo diiierent rows. In this case, several rods are driven through the holes corre- 'sponding to the characteristics that are considered and the selection is made in a manner analogous to that above described.

Of course, the distance between consecutive holes may vary either for two diiferent systems of selection or even for two different rows of a given system. The selecting rods may be wholly be brought either into a position in which they have no contact whatever with the cards or in a position in which they extend through all the cards present in the card case. Finally, the manner of supporting the cards in the case and the means for producing the displacement of the driving cards are in no way limited to the example above described.

In the embodiment of the invention shown by Figs 6, 7 and 11, the card case includes two lateral walls I, 2 rigid with a bottom 3, a rear wall 4 and a front wall 5, these two last mentioned walls constituting the stationary plates provided with holes 6 and 1, suitably disposed, opposite one another, respectively. The part of rear wall 4 which carries holes 6 is covered by a fiat plate 6. The front wall 5 is provided with a lower middle slot 9 and two lateral holes III, II to which correspond, in the rear wall 4, two similar holes not visible in the drawings. Holes I6 and II are connected to the corresponding holes by tubes l2 and I3, respectively, in which tubes cylindrical rods l4 and I5 are slidably mounted respectively. This arrangement is visible in Figs. .6 and '7. Rods l4 and I5 are rigid with the rod carrier l6. This l6 so that it can either be moved away from said part |6 (Fig. '7) so as to permit the insertion of a certain number of selecting rods 2| (two' in the exampleillustrated) into registering holes l1 and 1, or be swung back into contact with the heads 22 of these "rods. In this last mentioned position 1 plate I9 is locked-by theengagement of a part 23 intoa hole 24 of the rod carrier l6. It is clear that, in this case, illustrated by Fig. v6, rods 2| can be either nearly wholly extracted from the selecting case, or driven into said case, by acting on handle l6,'until the points of these rods, after passing through holes 6 ofrear wall 4,- butt against end plate 6.

Upon the bottom 3 of the selecting case, there are provided four cross members 25, 26, 21, 23 one of which, 21, carries the pivot 29 of an oscillating lever 30 which extends through the horizontal slot 9 of wall 5 and is provided, at its outer end, 5 with a handle 3|. This operating lever '36 is connected to a support 35 intended to receive the inner card case in the following manner. At the rear part of said support, a connecting rod 33 is pivoted at 32 to the operating lever 30 and 10 at 34 to said support 35. At the front part-of said support, a connecting rod 45 is pivoted at 46 to lever 30 and at 44 to the end of a lever 42 itself pivoted about a spindle 43 carried by cross member 26. The opposite end of said lever 42 15 is pivotally connected at 4| to a connecting rod 46 adapted to oscillate about a spindle 39 carried by support 35.

sage of the stops, covers support 35. This support 35 bears, at its rear part (Fig. 11) on two 25 rollers 49, mounted on ball bearings and carried by brackets 56 rigid with cross member 26, and

\ at its front part, on two other rollers not visible in the drawings and carried in a similar manner by cross member 25. Support 35 is further guided 30 at its rear part by a sliding member 5| cooperating with a guiding rod 52 carried bybrackets 53 rigid with cross member 28. The outer' case further includes two angle irons 54, 54' carried by the upper parts of the respective lateral walls I and 2 of said case to which they are fixed by bolts 55, 55' which extend through openings 56, 56, of elongated shape transversely to said irons so as to permit of adjusting the distance between angle irons 54 and 54'.

The card case' proper, or inner'case (Figs. 8 and 11) consists of a metal sheet bent upwardly on the lateral sides thereof so as to form the bottom 51 and the longitudinal lateral walls of said cases 58 and 58'. This last mentioned case is strengthened at each corner by tubes 59, 59, 66,

. 69'. The two front tubes 59 and 59. are braced by a bent member 6|, carrying a handle 63, said member 6| being fixed to said tubes, for instance by welding. A similar arrangement is provided for the rear tubes 60 and 66', which are interconnected by a member 6|. carrying a handle 63'. At the end of each of these tubes, there is provided a notch such as 62, 62', supporting the ends of small bars 64, 64 intended to support the selection and driving cards.- As above explained, the dimensions of the card case thus formed are such that it may rest on protecting plate 41, carried by the outer case, between stops 36, 3'!" and 38 of support 35. Any oscillatory movement of operc0 ating lever 36 about point'29 imparts to said'support a translatory movement.

The selection cards .65 (Fig. 9) of a width smaller than that of the card case (Fig. 11) are provided with holes 66 which register with the 5 holes 6 and 1 of the walls, Two holes of the same horizontal row of a card may be connected, when the card is used, by a horizontal slot, for instance f1, I2, is. f4. Each card is provided, on the one hand at its upper part, with a hole 61 and anotch 7 v v 68, and, on-the other hand, with two lateral lugs 69, 69' serving to support thecard on bars 64, 64'.

.The size and position of notch 66 are such that the perforations 61 of the cards that are, selected, for instance as a consequence of a lateral dis- 75 placement 'of the cards to a distance equal to the interval between two consecutive holes are all located in line with notch 68. Under these conditions, it is possible to pass a rod through the upper perforations of all the selected cards so as to permit of simultaneously lifting them. Of course, this notch permits in a likewise manner of lifting theselected cards having undergone a displacement corresponding to several divisions.

The driving cards Ill (Fig. which are of a width substantially equal to that of the card case proper, are provided with horizontal slots H disposed in such manner that they register with the rows of holes of the selection cards. However, a median band is reserved in the card at 12, so as to improve the rigidity of the driving cards and also to prevent the corner of a selection card from penetrating into one of the slots of the adjacent driving card. The upper slot 13 of each .driving card is enlarged at both ends at 14 and 14, so as to permit of supporting the cards by means of small bars 64, 64'. The driving cards are also provided, at their upper ends, with notches 15 intended to permit the insertion of a rod in the perforations 61 of the selected cards with a view to permitting their extraction from the case. Finally, each driving card is provided, on either of its faces with a lateral part of increased thickness l6, l6.

The card selecting device which has just been described is worked in the following manner:

The driving cards 10 being all mounted on small bars 64, 64 of the card case, each selection card 65 is disposed in such manner that it is surrounded by two driving cards and rests through its lugs 69, 69 on said bars. Of course, the selection cards corresponding to one classification may fill several card cases.

When some person desires to select the cards of a case which correspond to a certain characteristic, he first brings the rod carrier l6, unprovided with rods, into contact with the front wall 5 of the outer case. Then he places the card case proper upon its support inside the outer case and moves operating lever 30 successively toward the right and toward the left. This is intended to initially bring the selection cards into. line since the lugs of these cards have their end edges successively brought into contact with the inner face of sectional irons 5| and 54. Then, after opening locking device 23, cover plate I9 is turned away from the carrier, for instance into the position shown by Fig. 7. The selecting rods are then inserted according to the desired selection or selections to be obtained. Plate I! is then brought back into the closed position, in which it is locked and operating handle ii is moved fully to the right, so as to produce the translation of the card case toward the left. In the course of this movement, the cards to be selected, that is to say those which have slots through which extend selecting rods, said slots extending in the direction corresponding to this movement, are actuated by the card case and the driving cards which move together with said case, while the cards that are not to be selected are kept in position by the selecting rods. The selected cards are thus moved toward the left hand side and it is possible to simultaneously remove the whole of them in the manner above described.

. If it is desired to select the cards of another card case, it suffices to pull the handle l8 of the rod-carrier it in such manner as to wholly extract the rods from the card case and then to replace the case in which the selection has already been effected by a new case. After this, the cards are brought into line, the rod carrier I6 is pushed right back and the operations above described are repeated.

Of course, the structure of the cases, the manner of supporting the driving cards and the selection cards therein, the diameter of the holes provided in the cards and the distance between said holes may vary without departing from the principle of the present invention.

In a general way, while I have, in the above description, disclosed what I deem to be practical and efllcient embodiments of the present invention, it should be well understood that I do not wish to be limited thereto as there might be changes made in the arrangement, disposition, and form of the parts without departing from the principle of the present invention as comprehended within the scope of the accompanying claims.

What I claim is:

l. A selecting system which comprises, in combination, a plurality of cards, each provided with a plurality of holes located in corresponding respective positions in all the cards, at least two holes located on a line parallel to a predetermined direction being connected by a slot in at least two of said cards, an outer case, including two lateral walls at a distance from each other greater than the width of said cards and a front and a rear plate connected to said walls and each provided with holes of the same size and relative position as those of the cards, respectively, a selecting case movable in said outer' case transversely to said lateral walls, said selecting case being adapted to support said cards with a possible sliding displacement thereof in the transverse direction in which said selecting case itself is movable in the outer case, said direction coinciding with the direction of the slots provided in cards supported in said selecting case, a plurality of rectilinear rods adapted to engage in corresponding holes of said front and rear plates so as to extend through all of the holes of the respective cards that occupy a same position, driving cards arranged in such manner that each of the first mentioned cards is interposed between two of said driving cards and in frictional engagement therewith, said driving cards being each provided with slots, for the passage of said rods, extending in said predetermined direction,

said driving cards being removably supported by said selecting case, means for fixing said driving cards with respect to said selecting case at least in the transverse direction thereof, and guides carried by said lateral walls of the outer case for cooperation with said first mentioned cards so as to permit of bringing their respective corresponding holes into line.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1 in which 1 said first mentioned cards include each two lugs at the upper part thereof and on opposite sides thereof respectively and said driving cards are provided with two holes on opposite sides respectively of the middle line of .each of them, further including bars carried by said card case parallelly to said lateral walls, said bars being adapted to slidably support said lugs and to engage in said last mentioned holes-of the driving cards, respectively.

3. A system according to claim 1 further including means for moving said card case inside said outer case in either direction transversely to the lateral walls thereof.

- io ese 4. A system according to claim -1 further ineluding a rod carrier, provided with a plurality of holes of the same size and relative positions as those of said platesand said first mentioned cards, 'slidable with respect to said outer case in a direction parallel to said rods, and means for said rods ,with mpect to said *jing.

6. A system according to cfaim' l in which the upper part of each or the first mentioned cards is provided with a hole of the same size and respective position for 'all of said first mentioned cards, whereby all the selected cards can'be removed simultaneously.

7. A selecting system which comprises, in combination, a plurality of cards. each provided with 1 a plurality 01. holes located in corresponding respective positions" in all the cards, at least two holes located on a line parallel to a predetermined direction being connected by a slot inat least two of said cards, guiding means for, placing all these cards one behind the other in predetermined reiative position,,a case for said cards in-- cluding two lateral walls at a distance from each other greater than the width of said cards and a front and a rear plate connected to said walls said plates being each provided with holes of the same size and relative position as those of said cards, a plurality of rectilinear rods extendingtransversely to the suriace oi each card, adapted vto engage eachsin the holes of the respective cards and of said plates that occupy a given position 'on the surface thereof, whereby only the cards provided with such slots as are engageable" with said rods can move transversely to said rods in said predetermined direction, driving cards arranged in such manner that each of the first mentioned cards is interposed between two of said driving cards,- said driving cards being each provided with slots for the'passage of said rodsextending in said predetermined direction, and-said driving cards irictionally engaging all of the first mentioned cards tor, exerting thereon an action tending to displace them transversely to said rods in said predetermined direction, lugs at theupper part of said driving cards extending on opposite sides thereof respectively'adapted to rest'on the upper edges 01' said walls for supporting said driving .cards, and means for simultaneously displacing all of these driving cards in said predetermined direction transversely to said rods.

nonna'r .noana traumas: 'DESAUBLIAUX.

and extending .in,the same direction as said cards, 

